ALL of the videos in Access Video On Demanddatabase now have captioning and interactive transcripts available, making the thousands of titles in the collection accessible and useful to an even wider range of users.

TIPS ON USING CAPTIONING

To toggle captions on and off: Click the CC is on / CC is off button in the upper right corner of the video player.

To set captioning as the default view format: Once you’re signed in to your user account, click User Options at the top right of the screen and then click My User Preferences on the User Options pop-up menu. Select the Show by Default checkbox under Closed Captioning, and then click Save Changes.

TIPS ON USING INTERACTIVE TRANSCRIPTS

To use interactive transcripts: Click on the Transcript tab to the right of the video player to view the interactive transcript. To jump to a different section of the video, simply click on a word within the transcript and the video will skip to that point. You can also jump back/ahead using the status bar on top of the transcript module, or within the player itself. Or, use the Search bar to locate a specific part.

To turn the Interactive Transcript feature on and off: Users can visit My User Preferences, or administrators can turn the Interactive Transcript feature on or off at the account level from within the Administrative Portal.

Note that videos may not be captioned when they are first added to the collection. If you have any questions about captioning or interactive transcripts, please visit the Access Video On DemandHelp Center or don’t hesitate to contact Video.Support@InfobaseLearning.com

To start using Pronunciator, go to Pronunciator and REGISTER (email/library card number). Now look in your email, where you will receive an email with a temporary student ID and password. You may change it under your Account once you log in.

Before you start using Pronunciator, it is recommended that you view the Quick Start video

Alameda County, CA—Between January 22 and February 2, 2013, member agencies of the Clean Water Program will be holding reusable bag giveaway events, in support of the countywide single-use plastic bag ban that went into effect on January 1. The ban prohibits stores that sell packaged food or alcohol from giving away single-use plastic bags at checkout, and requires them to charge a minimum of 10 cents per paper bag, as an incentive for shoppers to bring their own reusable bags to the store.

“We want to raise awareness about the harm disposable plastic bags pose to the health of our local creeks and San Francisco Bay, and so we are encouraging residents to get into the habit of using reusable bags,” explained Clean Water Program Manager Jim Scanlin, “Each year, the equivalent of 100,000 kitchen garbage bags worth of litter end up in our local waterways, including an estimated 1 million disposable plastic bags,” he added.

In Alameda County storm water does not pass through a water treatment plant. This means that litter and other pollutants carried into the storm drain system by wind and water flow directly into creeks and the Bay, where they harm fish, marine mammals and birds. Plastic bags and other lightweight plastic litter don’t biodegrade and are particularly hazardous because they float, entangling and poisoning marine wildlife that mistakes the items for food.

In addition to its environmental impacts, litter is also an eyesore and puts a heavy financial burden on communities. Alameda County jurisdictions spend approximately $24 million every year on litter and storm drain cleanup.

Under the Federal Clean Water Act, cities in the Bay Area are required to reduce or eliminate storm water pollution in order to comply with the Municipal Regional Stormwater Permit, issued by the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Board. Under the current permit, Alameda County must reduce trash discharge from storm drains by 40% by 2014, and by 70% by 2017. The ban is expected to go a long way toward reaching those goals.

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About the Clean Water Program

Made up of agencies from around Alameda County, the Clean Water Program has been working since 1991 to facilitate local compliance with the Federal Clean Water Act. Member agencies include the cities of Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Dublin, Emeryville, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Newark, Oakland, Piedmont, Pleasanton, San Leandro and Union City, the County of Alameda, the Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, and the Zone 7 Water Agency.

The Program reaches out to residents and businesses throughout the county, helping people under­stand why having clean and healthy waterways is important to our daily lives, and what role each of us plays in protecting local creeks, wetlands and the Bay. Fostering an appreciation of the local environment, the Program inspires residents to do their part to prevent water pollution during everyday activities like gardening, household cleaning, and keeping their cars in good shape. The Program’s free publications and consultations help business owners and managers understand water pollution prevention regulations that affect them, and adopt best practices to stay in compliance.

If you recently bought or received a digital camera and want to go beyond point-and-shoot photography, you’ll want to attend an “Introduction to Digital Photography,” a free class that will be given this coming Sunday, January 27, 2013, beginning at 1:30 p.m. and lasting to about 4:30 p.m., in the Dublin Library Program Room.

The instructor, Gerry Mooney, is a professional photographer who taught at Ohlone College for 25 years. In this class you will learn basic digital camera operations, custom settings, and editing and storing digital pictures.

Be sure to bring your own digital camera and instruction manual for hands-on practice. There will be a maximum of 36 students for this class. Registration is required. Sign up at the Information Desk or call (925) 803-7275.

If you are unfamiliar with Zinio database, you’ll want to know about upcoming webinars for library patrons on how to get started using Zinio. Links to register for these webinars are listed in the libguide entitled Magazine Guide.